Eating

The Eating Guide to Crete, Greece

Greece

Greece’s largest island is a world away from what you would typically picture a Greek island. Crete is big – big enough to have three airports. What Crete lacks in caldera views and whitewashed stone architecture, makes up for in rolling hills of olive groves, rugged mountainous landscapes, and a culture that’s all on its own. Much of the land is used for agriculture, making for impressive landscapes. 

While a gyro is always nearby, you would be missing out as it is the traditional Cretan cuisine that adds to the uniqueness of the island. What makes Cretan cuisine stand out is the use of wholesome, locally grown produce and simple cooking techniques to come up with tasty and flavourful dishes that are often seasonal. There’s a Cretan version of everything from cheeses to honey to salads, and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything similar in other parts of Greece, unless you stumble upon a Cretan restaurant that is. 

Look forward to: Honey with thyme, rusk bread and pork. 

Peskesi

City: Heraklion
Where: Kidonias 15, Iraklio 712 02, Greece
What: Traditional Cretan food
For: Snails and lamb

When it comes to traditional Cretan food, Peskesi has got it down pat. While a reservation is always recommended for this local favourite, there is always some seating place in every nook and cranny which the waiter will take you to if you turn up without one. The stone clad walls, wooden furniture and bread served in a wicker basket will remind you of a bygone era, and it is the traditions of Cretan cooking that Peskesi wants to bring to the table. Ingredients are taken from their farm in Harasso. In their garden, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used, and crops are picked by hand. 

You can’t miss seeing fried snails in a bowl among the tables. The waiter will shake the bowl covered with a lid, to mix thyme sauce with the snails in front of you before placing it on your table. This, being a Cretan specialty, is a must-try. There’s a variety of pork and goat dishes, of which the grilled pork smoked with sage and thyme and goat baked with yogurt are unforgettable dishes. 

Prima Plora 

City: Rethymno
Where: Akrotiriou 8, Rethymno 741 00, Greece
What: Seafood
For: The best view of the fortezza

Prima Plora is right smack on the beach, with a view of the Rethymno fortezza to boot. While you can’t find this restaurant conveniently in the city centre, its location is what gives it the spectacular ocean view. Sunset views are the best, as you experience the glow of the setting sun while you dine next to sound of ocean waves crashing over rocks. Food served here is cooked with a Greek twist, and be sure to sample the sea bass carpaccio with chilli and lemon. 

Herbs’ Garden

City: Heraklion
Where: Epimenidou 15, Iraklio, Greece
What: Romantic dinners
For: Views of the Venetian Fortress

This popular restaurant is carefully hidden in Lato Boutique Hotel, a cosy and stylish establishment close to the old port of Heraklion. The receptionist will direct you to take an elevator to the rooftop, where Herbs’ Garden is, with a view overlooking the Venetian Fortress. With only a handful of tables, the restaurant is easily full during high season. Contemporary concoctions rule the table here, but the use of local Cretan ingredients are not forgotten. 

Tuscany Travel Tips from Giulia Scarpaleggia, Tuscan Cook & Blogger of Juls’ Kitchen

Conversations with Locals

Giulia Scarpaleggia is no stranger to the ins and outs of Tuscany, having lived in the region for more than a decade. It has been evident that she has been cooking up a storm from her kitchen, based on the sheer number of bone fide Italian recipes coming out from her blog Jul’s Kitchen. To this cooking instructor, Tuscany is a lot more than just the overcrowded squares of Florence and Siena. In this interview, Giulia left no stones unturned as she reveals her favourite eating spots, what a proper Tuscan meal is, and the other hill towns that you should visit apart from the obvious. 

Photo: Juls’ Kitchen

What do you feel defines Tuscan cuisine?

The Tuscan cuisine that we know know is deeply influenced by cucina povera – peasant cooking of the previous century. Seasonal vegetables, beans and bread are staple ingredients. Stale bread is smartly reinvented in hearty recipes such as pappa al pomodoro, panzanella and ribollita.

What are some local dishes you feel travellers can’t leave Tuscany without trying?

It is strongly related to season. In Autumn, do not miss bruschetta – a char grilled bread rubbed with garlic and doused with olive oil. In Winter, ribollita is a must – a thick soup of stale read, beans, cavolo nero and other vegetables. Spring is all about fresh vegetables, like piselli alla fiorentina – peas with pancetta. Summer is the season of tomatoes, do not miss pappa al pomodoro and panzanella. 

Tuscan panzanella with tomatoes and mozzarella. Photo: Juls’ Kitchen

Where are your favourite restaurants or cafés in Tuscany?

The cuisine of Agriturismo il Rigo in Val d’Orcia. Sbarbacipolla Biosteria and Bel Mi Colle in Colle val d’Elsa, Osteria Vecchio Mulino in Castelnuovo Garfagnana, Gino Cacino in Siena. So many great places.

Name one Tuscan dining etiquette most travellers miss

Do not eat pasta with your meat. They are two separate courses!

Photo: Juls’ Kitchen

When is your favourite time of the year to visit Tuscany? 

My favourite months are October and November, when there are less tourists and the countryside is simply stunning. Plus it’s time for chestnuts, pumpkin, grapes and new olives. Nothing better!

Photo: Juls’ Kitchen

What would you recommend travellers do to experience Tuscany as a local?

Shop at a local market, listen to what the vendors are suggesting and cook according to the season. 

Photo: Juls’ Kitchen

Where are your favourite Tuscan hill towns?

Casole d’Elsa near Siena, Barga near Lucca and Pitigliano in Maremma.

Name one best kept secret of Tuscany

Osteria Livornese, in Montelupo Fiorentino, is an amazing restaurant to eat fish near Florence.

Where can we go to see your favourite view in Tuscany?

It’s the view from my bathroom, in the countryside of Colle Val d’Elsa. So fun! All my friends and all the guests of cooking classes love it!

What makes Italian cooking so unique? 

The cooking style is extremely simple, the ingredients are left to speak for themselves. There’s no need for overcomplicating with sauces or too many ingredients. Recipes are inspired by seasonality. 

Photo: Juls’ Kitchen

Fried eggs and buristo. Photo: Juls’ Kitchen

When it comes to food, where in the world is your favourite destination?

Except from Tuscany, I love London, where you can experience possibly any cuisine in the world. I’m a big fan!

WHERE TO EAT IN TUSCANY


Agriturismo il Rigo
Region: Val d’Orcia
Where: Loc. Casabianca, 53027 San Quirico d’Orcia SI, Italy
For: Organic farm food 

Sbarbacipolla Biosteria
Region: Colle val d’Elsa
Where: Via Bartolomeo Scala 11, 53034 Colle di Val d’Elsa SI, Italy
For: Vegan food

Bel Mi Colle
Region: Colle val d’Elsa
Where: Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 56, Colle di Val D’Elsa SI, Italy
For: Local Tuscan food

Osteria Vecchio Mulino
Region: Castelnuovo Garfagnana
Where: Arch 5, Voyager South, London SE16 4RP
For: Pastas

Gino Cacino di Angelo
Region: Siena
Where: Piazza Mercato, 31, 53100 Siena SI, Italy
For: Meats and panini 

Osteria Livornese
Region: Montelupo Fiorentino
Where: Viale Umberto I, 2, Montelupo Fiorentino FI, Italy
For: Fish

WHERE TO GO IN TUSCANY


Casole d’Elsa
Region: Siena
Proximity to major cities: South to Florence

Barga
Region: Lucca
Proximity to major cities: Northwest to Florence

Pitigliano
Region: Grosseto
Proximity to major cities: In between Florence and Rome

Colle Val d’Elsa
Region: Siena
Proximity to major cities: South to Florence

London Travel Tips from Meg Abbott & Issy Croker of The Curious Pear

Conversations with Locals

It is no secret that Meg and Issy knows food. With a camera in one hand and a pen in the other, the very curious duo of The Curious Pear have travelled the world plate by plate. As Food52 columnists, they are bona fide insiders in the London culinary scene, eating at the tables of some of the finest kitchens in the city. They count red wine as their best friend, and are not one to pass up a good avocado dish. Meg and Issy let us in on a little secret called Hackney, the importance of having a Sunday roast, and why they think Italy is the unrivalled food destination. 

Photo: Issy Croker

 

What do you feel defines British cuisine?

To us, English cuisine is all about experimenting with different flavours from around the world. England has so much diversity, and the food really reflects that. We’re constantly amazed by the choices in London.

If we wake up and want a Middle Eastern breakfast, we can get it down the road. If we want Vietnamese noodle soup for lunch, it’s at our doorstep. If we want a South Indian curry for dinner, there it is! It really is amazing, and it’s getting better by the year. In terms of British food itself, it’s exciting to see chefs making use of the great produce we have in this country. Our seasons are so different; and bring so many flavours with them. It’s great to see British food go from slightly bland to wonderfully experimental.

What is the one local food you feel travellers can’t leave London without trying?

We’d have to say a good old Sunday roast. Nothing beats it. It is quintessentially English, and incredibly comforting. The thing is, if you get a bad one, it can scar you for life. So hunt down a good one!

Our favourite is at the Marksman in Hackney. It’s just down the road from our flat and has absolutely exceptional food, and a great selection of beers. We love the mix of old locals and young people -and sometimes their dogs – and tend to bed down there for an entire afternoon on Sundays.

Where are your favourite restaurants in the city?

We’re having a hard time leaving East London at the moment, mostly because the food is so damn good around there! Our favourite place is Hill & Szrok on Broadway Market – a master butcher’s that turns into a cookshop at night. It’s the best meat we’ve ever had with beautiful sides and good, cheap red wine. We also love Berber & Q. We love the lamb and pita, and all the cocktails! It’s very New York-y in there. St John and Lyle’s are still the best British restaurants around, and we love Ducksoup in Soho for romantic dinner dates (usually with each other…). 

Ducksoup in London. Photo: Issy Croker

 

St John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield in London. Photo: Issy Croker

 

What’s a typical English breakfast for you? 

Shamefully, neither of us are massively into fry ups. We’re still hunting for one that doesn’t remind us of Withnail and I, but Londoners love trying different things at breakfast time. Poco does a great mackerel and avocado on toast, Rawduck is very cool and does a spicy daal with poached eggs, and NOPI has the best shakshuka in London. It’s that smoked labneh that does it for us! You can’t get much more English than crumpets and toast with jam, so for that we head to Burnt Toast Café in Brixton Village. 

Avocado and poached eggs on toast at Rawduck. Photo: Issy Croker

 

Poco Tapas Bar in London. Photo: Issy Croker

 

Name one London dining etiquette most travellers miss

Getting very drunk on Sundays! Or perhaps the big family suppers you get in any British household. We love a big pot of food on the table for everyone to serve themselves from. That’s something you don’t experience as a tourist. Unless you make friends with us, in which case we’ll feed you up in our flat!

What would you recommend travellers do in London to experience the city as a local?

Go to the food markets. They show what London is about at the moment – fresh, local produce, good booze, global cuisine, and lots of fun. Our favourites are Broadway Market, Druid Street and Borough Market. Go hungry and grab as many samples as you can! 

Egg hopper at Druid Street Market. Photo: Issy Croker

 

What do you feel are the most common misconceptions about British culture?

Maybe that Britain is a little stiff and overly polite. It is true that we apologise about 174 times a day and get embarrassed very easily, but British people are also a lot of fun and a lot more relaxed than our reputation! That definitely feeds in to the food culture, too. London has been renowned for bad food in the past, but hopefully visitors get a pleasant surprise when they come here for the first time now.

When it comes to food, where in the world is your favourite destination?

That’s such a difficult question! Well, there’s nothing like the home cooking in India. The amount of spices and herbs that go into the most simple dish there is incredible. The lunches in Israel are amazing – piles of labneh, pitta, falafel and finely chopped salads.

But if we had to pick one place, it would have to be Italy. The standard of food there is just so high. We recently went to Florence and fell in love with wild boar ragu – which we ate every day for a week – and learned how to made pici and handmade gnocchi. Each region is so proud of their food. The produce there is bursting with flavour. And, any country where wine is a staple of the table is a friend of ours. 

Porchetta sandwich with truffle cream and rocket at All’Antico Vinaio in Florence, Italy. Photo: Issy Croker

 

WHERE TO EAT IN LONDON 


Marksman
Where: 254 Hackney Rd, London E2 7SJ, United Kingdom
For: Sunday roast

Hill & Szrok
Where: 60 Broadway Market, London E8 4QJ, United Kingdom
For: Meats

Berber & Q
Where: 338 Acton Mews, London E8 4EA, United Kingdom
For: Lamb and pita 

Lyle’s
Where: Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ, United Kingdom
For: A modern upmarket feel

St John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield
Where: 26 St John St, London EC1M 4AY, United Kingdom
For: Nose to tail eating

Ducksoup
Where: 41 Dean St, London W1D 4PY, United Kingdom
For: Somewhere romantic 

Poco Tapas Bar
Where: 45 Jamaica St, Avon, Bristol BS2 8JP, United Kingdom
For: Mackerel and avocado on toast

Rawduck
Where: 197 Richmond Rd, London E8 3NJ, United Kingdom
For: Spicy daal with poached eggs 

NOPI
Where: 21-22 Warwick St, London W1B 5NE, United Kingdom
For: Shakshuka

Burnt Toast Café
Where: Argos Brixton, 36 Atlantic Rd, London SW9 8PS, United Kingdom
For: Crumpets and toasts
 
 

WHERE TO GO IN LONDON


Broadway Market
Where: Hackney, London E8 4, United Kingdom
For: Food markets

Druid Street Market
Where: Druid St, Bermondsey, London SE1 2AN, United Kingdom
For: Food markets

Borough Market
Where: 8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL, United Kingdom
For: Food markets